About the job
Summary
We are seeking an exceptional, visionary Head of Design to join our team at Subject. This role is for a proven design leader who has built and scaled world-class design organizations in high-growth startups and thrives in environments where creativity, speed, and impact are paramount.
You will be the design leader across the entire company—responsible for product design, brand, marketing, and every touchpoint where Subject shows up in the world. From the classroom to our digital platforms to how our brand is perceived globally, you will set the standard for quality, innovation, and inspiration.
Your mission
Build and lead a design organization that creates unparalleled experiences for students, educators, administrators, and partners. And do this while shaping a brand that stands for excellence, trust, and transformation in education.
About Subject
Subject is an educational technology startup on a mission to revolutionize classroom experiences. Backed by Kleiner Perkins, SoftBank Opportunity Fund, Owl Ventures, and others, we are building the future of learning by providing on-demand, engaging, and personalized educational experiences. Our fast-growing, LA and Austin-based team is driven to disrupt the education landscape with products that truly make a difference.
Mission
Maximize the potential of all learners and educators, regardless of zip code.
Vision
Empower students to outperform their current trajectory by several notches, creating a more educated society with higher graduation rates and better opportunities.
Our Values
Education Obsessed – We relentlessly pursue the best learning experience. Every critique is an opportunity to improve. Mantra: Passion.
Grit – Expect a minimum 60+ hour workweeks and the flexibility to travel or be in‑office as needed. Family and health come first, but Subject comes third. We outwork every competitor. Mantra: Relentless.
Championship Sports Team – Team success outranks individual glory. No job is beneath us; excellence is the standard. Mantra: Teamwork.
Speed – Speed of iteration beats quality of iteration. Make informed decisions quickly and learn faster than the market. Mantra: Intensity.
Empathy – We connect, understand, and lift each other up, turning diverse perspectives into innovative solutions. Mantra: Listen.
The Opportunity
As Head of Design, you will:
- Lead All Design Efforts – Own design across the company: product, marketing, brand, campaigns, internal assets, and everything in between.
- Build & Scale a World-Class Team – Recruit, mentor, and grow a team of product, brand, and creative designers who consistently deliver extraordinary work.
- Set the Vision – Define and evolve Subject’s design language and creative direction, ensuring a cohesive, inspiring presence across all platforms and channels.
- Shape Unparalleled Experiences – Partner with product, engineering, and data leaders to deliver delightful, impactful, and accessible digital experiences for millions of students and educators.
- Elevate the Brand – Work closely with marketing and growth teams to craft campaigns, storytelling, and creative that inspire trust and excitement.
- Champion Quality & Craft – Establish a culture of excellence, polish, and attention to detail while balancing velocity and pragmatism.
- Drive Innovation – Leverage AI and emerging tools to reimagine what’s possible in design—from rapid iteration to personalization to entirely new modes of interaction.
- Lead from the Front – Be both a hands-on craftsperson and a strategic leader, modeling design excellence while empowering your team to thrive.
What You’ll Do
- Company-wide Design Leadership: Set the vision and standards for all design at Subject, ensuring consistency and inspiration across every student, educator, and partner touchpoint.
- Team Building: Recruit, coach, and retain top design talent across product, brand, and creative disciplines.
- Design Systems & Brand Language: Develop and scale systems that unify product design and brand identity into a powerful, recognizable whole.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product, engineering, and marketing to bring ideas to life quickly, beautifully, and impactfully.
- Craft & Quality: Hold an unrelenting standard for usability, accessibility, and visual design excellence.
- Innovation Mindset: Champion the integration of AI and new design practices to accelerate creativity, scale personalization, and deliver experiences beyond expectations.
- Culture Champion: Cultivate a design-first culture that inspires the entire company to care about and invest in design.
What You Bring
- Proven Track Record: 5+ years in design leadership roles, ideally in early-stage, high-growth environments.
- Design Mastery: Demonstrated excellence in product design, brand identity, visual systems, and creative direction.
- Builder Mentality: Experience creating and scaling design systems, processes, and teams that move fast without compromising quality.
- Hands-on Creativity: Willingness to roll up your sleeves and dive into the craft when needed.
- Strategic & Tactical Leadership: Ability to set a bold design vision while also driving execution at the detail level.
- Cross-Functional Influence: Strong ability to partner with product, engineering, and marketing to shape both strategy and execution.
- AI Enthusiasm: Deep curiosity and belief in the transformative role of AI in scaling and elevating design.
- Mission Alignment: Passion for education and a drive to build experiences that meaningfully improve student and educator outcomes.
Equal Opportunity for All
Subject is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply and are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive environment.
Total Rewards
We offer competitive compensation (including equity), comprehensive health and dental coverage, growth opportunities, and a mission-driven culture where your work will impact millions.
We also believe in treating our team well, and additionally provide:
- Free breakfast and lunch
- Daily coffee
- Gym membership
- 90-minute wellness break
- Proximity bonus
- Weekend warrior bonus for bringing your best
If you are ready to lead with vision, set the standard for design excellence across product and brand, and help transform education for millions, we’d love to hear from you.
Top Skills
What We Do
We empower districts with accredited middle and high school original credit, credit recovery, and multilingual courses that meet the needs of today’s learners and educators.
Our platform was built from the ground up based on extensive feedback from educators and team members who understand firsthand the challenges of teaching today's digital-native students. Teachers told us they needed better ways to engage students, track progress effortlessly, and improve district-wide outcomes—and we listened.
Through close collaboration with educators, we developed features that directly address their most pressing needs: bite-sized, engaging video content that captures student attention, flexible language support to serve diverse student populations, comprehensive homework help, seamless progress monitoring tools that save teachers time, and comprehensive analytics that help districts boost graduation rates and student success metrics.
Backed by top accreditations (Cognia, WASC) and approvals (UC-AG, NCAA, College Board), Subject delivers measurable results that administrators can trust. Our partner districts report increased student engagement, improved completion rates, and stronger academic outcomes.
Ready to transform learning in your district? Let's discuss how Subject can help you achieve your educational goals.
Why Work With Us
Our vision is to revolutionize education by empowering all students with the ability to outperform their current trajectory. We will change the world by increasing society’s access to high quality education, improving high school graduation rates and giving our students better access to top colleges and universities.
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